Kinsey Millhone is a private detective created by author Sue Grafton Taylor. Kinsey Millhone was born on May 5^th 1950 as the child of Rita and Randall Millhone in Santa Teresa, California. Her mother Rita belonged to a distinguished family with which she had lost contact after her marriage to Randall Millhone. It is only her mother and her sister, Aunt Gin, whom she still keeps in touch with.

Then there was a fatal car accident in which Rita and Randall Millhone lost their lives, while the five-year Kinsey was locked inside the vehicle with her dying parents.

That is why little Kinsey grew up with her single Aunt Gin, who, although overwhelmed by the burden of having a child, still did everything in her power to turn the  little traumatized girl into a self-confident and independent young woman over the years. However, neither fashion, nor things such as cooking or housekeeping were among the strengths of her aunt.

Because of her rather rebellious nature and because Kinsey was not a good student, school was not always easy for her. During high school she even came in contact with marijuana, from which she gained distance quickly though, as well as from the people who were using drugs.

After graduation she attended the Police Academy of the Santa Teresa Police Department and thereafter continued working as a police officer. Since Officer Millhone had problems with the bureaucracy and authorities and because she was displeased with the attitude towards female police officers, she gave this job up two years later.

Kinsey Millhone has been married twice, both marriages ending in divorce. It took her some time to get over her second husband, Daniel Wade. At 25, Kinsey Millhone started her training as a private detective and afterwards  received her license.

Initially she was employed at a detective agency for a few years and then she became self-employed. The now independent private detective living in a trailer park in Colgate, rented a small office in the California Fidelity Insurance building. Over time, she has been commissioned every now and again by the insurance company to carry out an investigation on suspicion of insurance fraud, which helped her gain the rent for her office.

She later moved out of the trailer and rented a small apartment in a clean house in Santa Teresa. Kinsey quickly became friends with her housemate Henry Pitts, which was perhaps a little because the almost eighty year old, retired baker supplied his neighbors and a small restaurant nearby with bread and cakes. Over time, Kinsey became a regular of this small restaurant belonging to Rosie, a Hungarian who quickly welcomed Kinsey in her heart.

During one of her cases, the tough detective’s apartment was destroyed by an explosion and Kinsey suddenly became homeless. Henry Pitts then turned his garage into an apartment, which is now inhabited by Kinsey.

Kinsey Millhone is not specialized on a certain area in her field, which means that she performs both address investigations and searches for lost persons, just like her colleague Josef Matula in Frankfurt, Germany, who examines evidence that would lead to the release of the accused. Moreover, her assignments also include the search for a murderer or perpetrator after an assassination attempt and she is also now and again commissioned to investigate insurance frauds.

The intelligent private investigator’s private life is, however, more complicated than what she had hoped for. During the case All Quiet, she met Lieutenant Jonah Robb, with whom she fell in love. Though married, he is left again and again by his wife. In these times of separation, he is together with Kinsey. However, his wife also returns again and again after some time and then Jonah and her always reconcile, so that Kinsey remains alone.

Books by Sue Grafton about private detective Kinsey Millhone

• 
  "A" Is for Alibi


• 
  "B" Is for Burglar


• 
  "C" Is for Corpse


• 
  "D" Is for Deadbeat


• 
  "E" Is for Evidence


• 
  "F" Is for Fugitive


• 
  "G" Is for Gumshoe


• 
  "H" Is for Homicide


• 
  "I" Is for Innocent


• 
  "J" Is for Judgment


• 
  "K" Is for Killer


• 
  "L" Is for Lawless


• 
  "M" Is for Malice


• 
  "N" Is for Noose


• 
  "O" Is for Outlaw


• 
  "P" Is for Peril


• 
  "Q" Is for Quarry


• 
  "R" Is for Ricochet